Furnace-grate.



A. COTTON.

FURNACE GRATE.

APPLICATION FILED 213.19, 1914.

1,1 17,795, Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Siwucnto:

ALFRED COTTON, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

FURNACE-GRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1 7, 1914.

Application filed February 19, 1914. Serial No. 819,653.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED COTTON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of the city of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnace-Grates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of grates in which a multiplicity of small grate bars are supported on transverse bearers or bars, air spaces being left between the grate bars to permit of the proper draft. In the ordinary grate of this type the bars are of several designs and are frequently of different sizes in order that they may be assembled in the desired manner. In these ordinary forms of grates of this type it is necessary that the bars of different designs be arranged in a certain relation to each other.

It is one of the principal objects of this invention to provide a grate in which the bars will all be of precisely the same size and shape so that one pattern only will be necessary.

Another object of the invention is to provide a grate made up wholly of bars of the same size, shape and construction and to arrange said bars side by side and end to end in the simplest manner and without regard to any specific relation of one bar to another except the very obvious one of placing the rear ends of the bars on their proper supports.

Another object of the invention is to provide a grate bar of such construction that one of itsends will be interlocked with its bearer or support, the other end over-lapping the end of the abutting grate bars and loosely resting thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bar of very simple construction which mav be readily assembled with other bars of the same construction to form a grate, wherebv the manufacture of the grate will be simplified and the work and labor of assembling the bars and of repairing the grate bv the insertion of new bars is very materially reduced.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a grate made in accordance with thisinvention; Fig. 2 an enlarged side elevation of one grate bar; Fig. 3 a plan view thereof; Fig. 4- a transverse vertical sectional view on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 a similar view on the line VV of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 a similar view on the line VIVI of Fig. 2.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates what is known as the dead plate, which is located at the front end of the grate; and 2 designates the bridge wall. Adjoining the dead plate is the forward transverse bearer or supporting bar 3. Adjoining the bridge wall is the rear transverse bearer or supporting bar 4. Between these two bearers are arranged the intermediate bearers or supporting bars 5 and 6. The forward bearer bar 3 has its upper surface beveled inwardly and downwardly, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The bearers 4 and 5, and 6 are merely transverse bars having vertical webs with flanges 7 along their lower edges. It is obvious that these intermediate bearers and the rear bearer may be of any desired or suitable construction, it being only necessary that they be adapted to receive the grate bars, as will be hereinafter described. It will also be obvious to those skilled in the art that as many intermediate bearers as may be necessary to make up a grate of the desired size may be used.

The grate bar 8 may be of any desired length but preferably is a comparatively short bar of small cross sectional dimensions. At its rear end it is formed with the depending jaw 9 said jaw being formed by the two downwardly extending projections 10 which form a transverse notch 11 which is adapted to receive one of the supporting bars or bearers l, 5 or 6. The rear end of the bar is formed with the downwardly and rearwardly inclined surface 12, said surface being directly over the jaw portion of the bar and forming a portion of the upper surface of the bar. The forward end of the bar is inclined downwardly and rearwardly as at 13, said inclined surface of the bar forming practically a portion of the under surface of said bar. The inclination of the surfaces 12 and 13 are substantially identical. The inclined portion 13 of the bars of the front rank A, which bars extend from bearer 5 to bearer 3, rest on the downwardly and inwardly inclined upper surface of said bearer 3 while the jaw 9 receives the upper edge of the bearer The middle rank B of bars are supported with their jaws 9 engaging the upper surface of the bearer 6 and their downwardly and rearwardly in clined surfaces 13 resting directly on the similarly inclined surface 12 of the front rank of grate bars, said ranks of bars being arranged in the same horizontal plane so that their upper edges present a smooth grate surface. The rear rank C of grate bars have their jaws engaging the rear bearer 4: and their beveled. forward ends resting on the correspondingly beveled or inclined rear ends of the grate bars of the middle rank. The upper. surfaces of the bars at their forward ends are curved dowir wardly slightly so that the ends of said bars will not project above the bars on which they rest, and so that the ends of the bars will be below the main grate portion of the bars.

The ends 14 and 15 of the bars are of equal width and are the fullwidth of the grate bar while the main portion of the grate bar lying between the enlarged ends, is reduced in thickness somewhat, the difference in thickness between the main portion of the bar and the ends being the size of the air spaces between the bars. The end portions of the bar have straight vertical sides whereas the main portion of the bar is straight and vertical only on one side. the other side inclining inwardly and downwardly so that the grate bar tapers downwardly in thickness. said bars be ng thinner at their lower edges than at their upper edges. The enlarged ends of the bars of one rank abut together and serve as the spacing means for the bars in that rank. Each bar midway its ends is formed with two outwardl extending spacing lugs 16, the outer ends of said spacing lugs being in the same plane with the vertical surfaces of the ends 14 and 15 so that the straight vertical side of the next bar will contact with said lugs when the ends 14- and 15 of said bars are in contact with each other. By form ng the bar with one straight vertical side throu hout the entire length of the bar the assembling of the bars in a grate is av simple matter and the manufacture of thebars is rendered simple. It is manifest that by arranging the straight side of one bar so that it contacts with the lugs 16 and the enlarged ends 14 and 15 of the next adio ning bar, a long narrow air space is formed between said straight surface and the main portion of the adjoining bar.

It is manifest that in constructing agrate made up of the bars'described herein it is simply necessary to drop the bars on the bearers 3 and 5. with the jaws 9 engaging the bearer 5. vNo special arrangement of bars is necessary except that they are to be placed side by side with the jaws 9 engaging the upper surface of the bearer straight sides of the bars engaging the lugs 16 and the enlarged ends 14 and 15. In assembling the bars of the second or inter- 5 and the mediate rank B the downwardly and inwardly beveled portions 12 of the bars of the front rank take the place of the bearer 3 and serve as the means for supporting the forward ends of the bars of the intermediate rank B; the bars of the rear rank are arranged in precisely the same manner.

It is manifest that the bars may not only be readily assembled but in case of repairs and renewals any grate bar may be readily removed and a new one inserted in its place.

By arranging one end of each grate bar as described, with its loose sliding connection with the abutting grate bar the grate is capable of expansion and contraction in response to variations in temperature.

It is to be noted that the grate bars overlap at the bearers and that there is no air space between the ends of the bars or between the sides of the bars where they engage the bearer. The advantage of this is that it prevents the passage of an undue amount of air at that point, and also prevents the accumulation of cinders and clinkers. One of the great objections to grates of this old type of the ordinary construction is that air spaces are left at the ends of the bars, said air spaces allowing for the expansion of the bars. Clinkers and cinders accumulate in theseair spaces and fill them so solidly that expansion of the bars is prevented. and this, of course, causes the bars to walk. With grate bars of my improved construction the expansion cannot be prevented, and there will be no undue accumulati on of cinders at the ends of the bars.

What I claim'is:

1. A. grate comprising a series of trans verse bearers, the forward bearer being downwardly and rearwardly inclined on its upper surface, ranks of grate bars supported by said bearers, each of said bars being formed with a bearer-engaging part on its under side at its rear end and with a downwardlv and rearwardlv inclined upper surface directlv over the downwardly and rearwardlv inclined underv surface of the bars of the other ranks being adapted to engage the correspondingly beveled upper surfaces of the bars of the adjoining ranks.

2. A grate bar main portion being of less thickness than the end portions,

formed with bearer-engaging means, the

other end of said bar on its under side -be-.

ing beveled downwardly and rearwardly,

and the upper surface of said bar over the bearer-engaging por-' tion, the under surface of said bar beingv comprising two end por-' tlons and an intermediate main portion, said one end portion being bearer-engaging part being correspondingly beveled downwardly and rearwardly.

3. A grate bar formed with two end portions having straight vertical sides, an intermediate portion of less thickness than the end portions and having one vertical side and one downwardly and inwardly inclined side, spacing lugs formed on said inclined side, the rear end of the bar being formed with a downwardly extending jaw adapted to receive a bearer and with a downwardly and rearwardly inclined surface directly Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by

over said jaw, the other end of the bar on its under side being beveled downwardly and inwardly, whereby the beveled forward portion of one bar may rest on the correspondingly inclined rear end of another bar.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED COTTON.

WVitnesses:

LILLIAN MCGUIRE,

. R. MILLER.

addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0. 

